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US approves first at-home cervical cancer screening device

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved an at-home cervical cancer screening tool as an alternative to Pap smears by a gynecologist, the company behind the device said Friday.

Measles roars back in the US, topping 1,000 cases

The United States' measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases with three deaths so far, state and local data showed Friday, marking a stark resurgence of a vaccine-preventable disease that the nation once declared eliminated.

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Virus-hit Hong Kong considers lockdown as bodies pile up

Hong Kong may impose a China-style hard lockdown that confines people to their homes, authorities signalled Monday, with the city's zero-Covid strategy in tatters and bodies piling up in hospitals.

Virus-hit Hong Kong considering lockdown: health chief

Hong Kong may impose a China-style hard lockdown that confines people to their homes, authorities signalled Monday, with the city's zero-Covid strategy in tatters and bodies piling up in hospitals.

US health agency loosens Covid mask guidelines

The United States top health agency on Friday drastically revised its guidelines for masking to stop Covid-19 transmission, a decision that means most Americans won't be advised to wear them in indoor public spaces, including school children.

Scotland star Watson out of France match with Covid-19

Scotland suffered a major setback on the eve of Saturday's Six Nations match at home to France when star back-row Hamish Watson was ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.

Hong Kong's Omicron-fuelled outbreak spreads within prisons

Hong Kong prisons on Friday reported a worsening coronavirus outbreak involving more than 200 inmates at a time when hundreds of political activists and protesters are being kept behind bars.

Hong Kong and Singapore virus response a tale of two very different cities

Rivals Singapore and Hong Kong have become pandemic polar opposites, the former opting to live with the coronavirus and reopen to the world while the latter doubles down on zero-Covid and its international isolation.

Covid rages in Iraq as vaccinations lag

In the stores and buses of Iraq masks are rare even as Covid-19 spreads widely, vaccines are viewed with suspicion and the sick see hospitals as a last resort.

Science of sleep: Why a good night's rest gets harder with age

It's well known that getting a good night's sleep becomes more difficult as we age, but the underlying biology for why this happens has remained poorly understood.

Eight polio vaccinators killed in series of Afghan attacks: UN

Eight members of polio vaccination teams working to eradicate the crippling virus in Afghanistan were killed on Thursday in four separate attacks, the United Nations said.

Malawi polio immunisation starts next month after outbreak

Malawi said Thursday it will launch a nationwide polio vaccination campaign next month following the detection of its first case in 30 years and Africa's first in five years.

Virus-hit Hong Kong invokes emergency powers to allow in China medics

Hong Kong's government invoked emergency powers on Thursday to allow doctors and nurses from the Chinese mainland to work in the territory to help combat a spiralling coronavirus outbreak.

US authorizes first condom for use in anal sex

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized the first condom for use during anal intercourse, in what was hailed as a victory for sexual health by experts.

UN expert urges vaccines to help North Korea end Covid isolation

The world should provide millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea, where "draconian" anti-pandemic measures are worsening an already-severe food crisis, a UN human rights expert said Wednesday.

US maternal mortality soars amid widening racial disparities

The US maternal mortality rate -- already the worst in the industrialized world -- rose in 2020 to its highest level in half a century, with Black women three times more likely to die than white women, data showed Wednesday.

In conservative Singapore, plus-size actors take centre stage

"I dare you, watch me as I undress," sings actor Ross Nasir in a Singapore musical comedy about dating as a plus-size woman, highlighting a nascent fat acceptance movement in a city-state that once forced children to join weight loss programmes.

Queen Elizabeth II cancels engagements over Covid symptoms

Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled her planned virtual engagements for Tuesday due to "mild" coronavirus symptoms, Buckingham Palace said.

Hong Kong to see three rounds of compulsory virus tests

Hong Kong's population must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus testing, the city's leader said Tuesday, as she confirmed that mainland Chinese officials were now coordinating the response to the financial hub's worst outbreak.

Ajax agree 7.85 mn euros compensation for Nouri

Ajax said on Monday they will pay 7.85 million euros ($8.91 million) to the family of former player Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered brain damage after a cardiac arrest during a friendly match more than four years ago.

England scraps compulsory self-isolation period for Covid cases

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday all pandemic legal curbs in England would end later this week, urging a shift from government intervention to personal responsibility.

Trudeau: Canada blockades lifted, but 'emergency is not over'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday defended his use of emergency powers to end weeks-long trucker-led protests and argued that lingering threats require the measures to remain in force for now.

Hong Kong to launch vaccine pass as Omicron outbreak rages

Hong Kong will launch a vaccine pass scheme this week, officials said Monday, as hospitals struggle under an Omicron-fuelled outbreak and the finance hub sees record-high departures.

Footballers' union call for temporary concussion substitutes

Temporary concussion substitutes are needed to safeguard players because of the pressure on medical teams to make quick assessments, the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said Monday.

UK's Johnson to scrap all Covid legal curbs as criticism mounts

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set Monday to announce an end to all pandemic legal curbs in England, insisting it is time to move on despite political opposition and unease from the UN's health agency.

Queen catches 'mild' Covid soon after 70th anniversary

Queen Elizabeth II tested positive on Sunday for Covid-19 but aides said her symptoms were "mild", as politicians wished Britain's longest-serving monarch a rapid recovery in her 70th year on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth catches 'mild' Covid

Britain's 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, a fortnight after marking 70 years on the throne, but aides said her symptoms were "mild".

UK's PM denies end to Covid law is reckless

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied throwing "caution to the wind" as he prepares to end all pandemic-related legal restrictions in England, amid a political backlash and scientific unease.

China helps virus-ravaged Hong Kong build isolation units

Construction crews from mainland China were helping Hong Kong build two temporary isolation facilities to house thousands of coronavirus patients on Sunday as a senior official declared the city "in full combat mode".

Police move to clear last demonstrators in Canada's trucker-led protests

Police in Canada moved Friday to dislodge the final truckers and protesters from downtown Ottawa, in a mostly peaceful operation aimed at bringing an end to three weeks of demonstrations over Covid-19 health rules.

Police move to clear trucker-led protests in Canada capital

Canadian police moved Friday to clear a trucker-led demonstration against Covid rules, arresting 70 people and towing away dozens of vehicles that have been choking streets of the Canadian capital for three weeks.

Police start to clear trucker-led protests in Canada capital

Canadian police on Thursday began a massive operation to clear the trucker-led protests against Covid health rules clogging the capital for three weeks, with several arrests made.

Hong Kong foreign domestic workers 'abandoned' in virus crisis

Hong Kong's foreign domestic workers are being "abandoned" in the current coronavirus wave sweeping the city, with some forced to sleep rough or being denied treatment after testing positive, charities warned Friday.

New Zealand police reject calls to clear anti-vax camp

New Zealand police ruled out forcibly clearing anti-vaccination protesters camped around parliament in Wellington on Friday, saying they did not want to provoke violence on the streets of the capital.

The Japan Times - Health (English)